Constitution Class Refit
The standard Federation Cruiser, the Constitution Class Refit was born from the earlier Constitution Class in 2271. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) was the first ship to be refitted, with many more refits and new builds following in the Organian Conflict and the War of Pacification. She is gradually being replaced by the new Richmond Class Heavy Cruiser, but remains in service due to a shortage of these larger hulls. Development Although cutting edge when introduced in 2245, by the late 2260s the Constitution Class was beginning to show her age. The short and indecisive 4-Day War in 2266 proved her combat capability but never the less shone light on the fact that the technology gap between the Federation and the Klingon Empire was closing, and quickly. This lead to several new programmes exploring different avenues of starship design. The Type II Programme was actually a conservative back-up concept but proved the most practical and to have the most short-term benefits to defence. As she was coming to the end of her 3rd five year mission, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) was chosen to be the test ship for the Type II Programme. She entered dry dock in 2269 and after 9 months of extensive rebuilding and refitting, emerged in 2271. Her shakedown cruise was interrupted by the V'Ger Incident, but the ship and her crew survived and proved that the Type II Programme had been a success. From a practical point of view, the most obvious improvements over the Constitution Class were the new Type B Phaser Emitters, newly developed neck-mounted Photon Torpedo Tubes (the newly introduced Mark VI) and more powerful impulse engines, a higher warp cruising speed, and stronger shielding. In 2287, all Constitution Class Refits in service were upgraded further to the "Refit B" configuration (the earlier refit being classed retroactively as "Refit A"). This saw further upgrading of the Photon Torpedo Tubes to the even more powerful Mark VII, along with upgrades to the computer systems, sensors and warp core. The Constitution Refits basic hull planform also spawned a number of modifications, the two most commonly encountered being the Ranger Class Galactic Survey Cruiser and the Salazar Class Torpedo Cruiser. Collectively, these designs were known as the Type II A subseries. Operational History Aside from the famous history of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) , the Constitution Class Refit served as the backbone of Starfleet Cruiser Squadrons in the Organian Conflict and the War of Pacification. In the General War, the newer Richmond Class Heavy Cruiser replaced the Constitution Refit in the Battlegroup Escort role, although there were never enough available to act in the traditional Cruiser role. Constitution Class Refits formed the heart of the fleet lead by Captain James T. Kirk during the expedition to the Galactic Fringe. Apocrypha With the coming of the Khitomer Accords in 2293, one of the political compromises made was the retirement of the Constitution Class Refit. The Klingons had an almost fanatical hatred of the type, no doubt due to the exploits of James T. Kirk and so her withdrawal lead to significant easing of the political situation, as the Klingons believed this was removing a great threat to their continued independence. In reality however, the design had reached the end of her useful working life and newer, bigger, and far more powerful starships such as the Excelsior Class were already replacing her in her traditional exploratory and scientific roles now that the Cold War had ended. Specifications * Class: 'Heavy Cruiser * 'Hull Type Designation: '''FCA * '''Length: 305m * Crew: 500 * Warp Nacelles: '''2 * '''Maximum Sublight Speed: 3750 k/s (37.5 Mk/s) * Cruise Warp Factor Speed: wf 7.5 * Safe Maximum Warp Factor Speed: wf 9.3 * Hull Rating: '250 HSF * 'Shield Rating: 523 FSP * Sensor Rating: 800 SRU * Armament and Equipment: ** Primary *** 4 × Type B Phaser Emitter ** Secondary *** 2 × Mark VII Photon Torpedo Tube ** Heavy *** None ** Advanced *** None ** Equipment *** Tractor Beam Emitter *** Mark VI Probes *** 2 × Type 2 Shuttlecraft Ships in Service (2292) USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) USS Tasmania (NCC-1704) USS Farragut (NCC-1647) USS Rauer (NCC-1709) USS Ticonderoga (NCC-1706) USS Tigress (NCC-1780) USS Vengeance (NCC-1609) USS Huntington (NCC-1352) USS Potemkin (NCC-1657) USS Broken Arrow (NCC-1773) USS Doggett (NCC-1707) USS Sentry (NCC-1798) USS Cossack (NCC-1710) USS Aldebaran (NCC-1754) USS Esperito (NCC-1935) USS Northolt (NCC-1718) USS Uxbridge (NCC-1723) USS Donnanook (NCC-1771) USS Cosford (NCC-1720) USS Aldershot (NCC-1756) USS Combermere (NCC-1759) USS Whittington (NCC-1705) USS Nicosia (NCC-1712) USS Scarpa Flow (NCC-1716) USS Preswick (NCC-1714) USS Lakenheath (NCC-1788) USS Mildenhall (NCC-1702) USS White Sands (NCC-1789) USS Wright Patterson (NCC-1790) USS Betelgeuse (NCC-1791) USS Antares (NCC-1792) Category:Federation Vessels Category:Heavy Cruisers Category:Cruisers